Sectional pile shell



.Jvne 30,-.19422 u A. c. TlTcoMB ETAL 2,288,576

" sEc'rIoNAL PILE SHELL FMF; Apri 2v, 1940 sheets-sheet 1 L MarkD.Cronc1n WMMQW 'ya June 30,1942. A. C. TITCMB Em 2,288,576

SECTIONAL PILE SHELL d April 2'?J 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June30, 1942 UNITED-"` STATES PATENT OFFICE sEcTIoNAL'PILE SHELL-V Albertc.Tatami, ohestnutniil, ana'Mark 1D.y Cronan, BelmontgMass.;assignorsftoNew -Enge f land Foundation Company, Inc.;Bostorn'liiass.;-l

a corporation of Massachusetts,V

Application Aprile?, 1940, serial Noi 332,050?` s claims. (01.,61418)filling,v suchas concrete. e

vide a pile'shell formed of sectionswhich can be detachablyassembleduponaV` driving instrumentality-or pre-assembled before the -driving `in fstrumentality is inserted into it.

This invention relatesl -to improvements in pile shells formed ofsuperposedsections adapted to be driven into the ground to receive asui-table' Moreparticularly -theinvent-ion -relatesto a 5 The-invention`further relates to meansffor,l

driving the pilelsection intothe ground."f

One froftheobjects of the invention is to pro-` It is practicallyimpossible to 4drive a-sectional Y is to provide"` means Vforr couplingadjacent sec# tionsitogether which' will permita limited ,rela-Y' tivelongitudinal movement between the pilev sec= tions sothateachsectionwill be practically i`n' dependently. driven.. Anotherobject of the invention is to provideV a pile shell'consistingcf aseries of superposed sections in which the joint between the severalsections'may receive a suitable packing which willy exclude^entrancepfmoistureA into 'the in-v terior of the pile shell notwithstanding. thelongitudinal slippage of the shell sections.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sectional `pilehavingslip joints between the 'several sectionsthereof so constructedthat the rst-blow -on the corefor other driving instrumentality, willcause a telescopic movement Ybe tween the sections where necessarywithout distorting anyshell section sothat the shoulders pile` 'of thinsheetfmetal'by blows applied'to the 20 top of the uppr'mo'stpilelsection, and means have heretoforebeen employed-for drivingthejpilesections by providingffconnecting drive rings interposedbetweentheseveralsections and' presenting shoulders to beengaged by shouldersof a suitable driving member or core; intending thereby to distributethe force lof the blowfof the hamf mer pile driver to each vsectionsimultaneously.

The actual Ipracticein `operations of this char i acter is to employadriving member or core so constructedthlt the-"shoulders are a rigidpart of thedriving memberfor core and are not ad-` justable -toirregularities in Athe!"construction of the'sectional pile, and it hasbeen foundy diicult, if notirnpossible, so to connect and assemble thesectional `pile "shells that the distance between thedrive ringswhch'receive the? blows is precisely the same as the distance betweenVthe shoulders of thed-riving member -or core. YAs a consequence.when-the force of the blowof the pile driver is applied -to the"connecting vrings throughtheshoulders of the'fdriving member or core,any difference in 'thedimension between' any two adjacent drive ringsandthe dimensions be? tween the corresponding" adjacent shoulders of the`driving member or core will cause the-sectior1`- of shell between thedrive rings `to separate from the drive rings or to rupture `at `theVconnection if rigidly'fastened, thereb'y`a1low'ing `seepage of waterand ne soil into the interiorfof the pile 50 shell, or the section ofshell will be extendedwor contracted, thereby weakeningthefshell to suchan extent that it will sometimes collapse when the drivingmemberor coreis withdrawn.

One'` of the 'principal-objects vof the-inventon55 ef thejcore; ordriving' instrumentality, andthe shoulders of theconnecting drive ringsbetween theshell sections arean exact' t and thereafterthe'pileshellwill move as a Whole with 4thedriving core;

25. Another objectof theinvention is to providey thelupper; end 'of.each pile shell section with a reenforcing collar, preferably having anupwardly andoutwardly inclined ground-engaging face and 30with'aperipheral 4flangeiorrning a socket to re-` ceve'theflower end ofthe-adjacent shell section, with suitablemeans forsealing the jointbetween said sections.

. A further object of the invention is to `provide asectional pile shellin which the thin sheet metal sections thereof* are Aof the' samediameter,l or crosssectional area, and Vin which each section isprovidediat its'upper end- With a reenforcing drive collarso'constructedas to jbe engaged by a suitable-driving instrumentality, each of theshellsectionsbeing connected by a slip joint of the .character abovedescribed.

Another. object of theV invention is to provide a suitable slip jointconnection between the suc- 45 Gessive :pile' shellsctions, withsuitable packing meanslfor preventing'the:entrance of water, or

other Yuiol,vv in the groundthrough the joint between' the sectionsin'tothe interiorfof the pile shell.V

-l-The'seand otherobjects and featuresl of the invention will more fullyappear from the following descriptionfandthe accompanying drawings andwillbe particularly pointed out in the claims(A il .'Preferredembodiments ofthe invention are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a pile shellembodying the invention and illustrating the driving core simultaneouslyengaging the drive collars of the several sections and also engaging asuitable drive shoe upon the lower end of the lowermost section;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View on line 2-2 Fig. 1 upon a reduced scaleshowing the detachable connection between the shell sections and/ orbetween the lowermost shell section and the drive shoe;

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view on the irregular line 3-3Fig. 4, showing the coupled ends of a cylindrical pile shell and alsoillustrating a driving core having means to engage -'a drive collar onthe upper end of the lower section, and the means for detachably causingsuch engagement, and illustrating in dotted lines the collar-engagingmeans removed from such engagement when the controlling rod therefor isslightly raised; i

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view on line 4-4 Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view illustrating the constructionshown in Fig. 3 and the manner in which vthe controlling rod isconnected to the driving head of the core and to the mechanism whichengages the drive collar;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of one form of telescopic connection betweenadjacent ends of successive shell sections;

Fig. 7 is a detail view of a preferred form of bayonet joint illustratedin Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional View of another form of coupling showing abayonet slip joint between adjacent shell sections. v

The sectional pile shell embodying the invention illustrated in Fig. 1is of the tapered form in which the several superposed sections are ofprogressively decreased diameter from the uppermost to the lowermost andin which each section desirably is of the same construction as theothers except for difference in diameter.

In this construction each pile shell section comprises a tubular portionI of thin sheet metal which as illustrated may be of cylindrical orother form but which may be of any desired contour or may be providedwith longitudinal corrugations or horizontal or spiral corrugations asis well known in the art.

The upper end of each pile section is provided with a rigid collar 2,preferably of considerably greater thickness and rigidity thanl thetubular sheet metal portion and which overlies the end of the tubularportion. The collar may be made integral with the shell section butpreferably comprises a downwardly extending tubular portion 3 tightlyfitting within and secured to the upper end of the sheet metal portionby welding or otherwise. The collar 2, which may be termed a drive ringor preferably a drive collar, desirably, but not necessarily, isprovided with an upwardly inclined under surface 4 adapted to force thesoil through which the pile shell is driven laterally, thereby todecrease the resistance to the driving of the shell into the ground. Theupper surface 5 of the drive collar 4 desirably is parallel to the lowersurface 4 and is adapted to be engaged by a complementary inclinedsurface 6 upon a driving core 'I so that the force of impact of the blowupon the surface 5 will be exerted over a considerable area of saidsurface at right angles thereto and consequently more effectively drivethe drive collar through the ground. The driving core 6 may be solid,but preferably is of tubular form and the several sections thereof areof such diameter that the inclined surfaces 6 will properly engage thedrive collars of the several sections simultaneously in the same manner.

Each of the drive collars 4 of the several sections is provided with anupwardly extending peripheral wall 8 of greater diameter than that ofthe tubular sheet metal portion of the next uppermost pile section. Theupper end of each of the peripheral walls 3 desirably is provided withan inwardly extending flange 9 having a suitable inner recess I0 throughwhich an ear or projection upon the lower end of the next uppermost pilesection may be inserted and upon relative rotation of the sectionprovide a detachable slip joint coupling which will permit readyassemblage of the several shell sections upon the driving core orpreliminarily to the insertion of the driving core therein.

Each of the sheet metal portions is provided at its lower end with anoutwardly extending flange which may be integral with the shell section,but which, as illustrated in Fig. 1, preferably is in the form of asleeve II tightly fitting within the lower end of the shell section andprovided with a iiange I2 which extends over the lower 4end of the shelland desirably is provided with a plurality of extensions or lugs I3adapted to be introduced into the recesses IE) and which upon relativerotation between adjacent shell sections will prevent detachment of theadjacent shell sections. By reason of this construction all the shellsections can be readily assembled upon the driving core or may beassembled to provide a complete pile shell ready to be applied to thedriving core.

V`:Suiiicient space is provided between the extensions or lugs I3 andthe inwardly extending flange 9 of the collar to permit a limitedrelative longitudinal movement therebetween which will enable eachsection to he driven at its upper end without imposing tension upon thenext upper adjacent section.

Desirably the upper face of the drive collar is provided with a rib I4parallel to the peripheral wall 8 and so located that it will not beengaged by the shoulder 6 of the driving core and adapted to form anabutment for a suitable, preferably resilient, packing I5 which isinterposed between the ange I2 of the sleeve and the upper face of thecollar 2. The collar 2 with its upwardly extending wall 8 forms ineffect a socket telescopically to receive the lower end of the nextsuperposed pile shell section so that the packing I5 is present in thesocket will exclude the seepage of water, or other iuidy from the earthinto the interior of the pile shell.

The pile shell may be provided with any suitable form of drive shoe,either of conical or other tapered form, but preferably is of flat formof the type disclosed in the patent to Albert C, Titcomb No. 1,910,939granted May 23, 1933.

As illustrated in Fig. l the drive shoe is in the form of a relativelythick flat plate IS, preferably having an upwardly inclined peripheralportion II provided with a vertical wall I8 having an inwardly extendingflange I3 provided with recesses 20, similar to the recesses IEI of theinwardly extending flange at the upper end of the collar 2 adapted toreceive the extensions or lugs I3 of the sleeve at the lower end of thelowermost pile shell section. The shoe I6 desirably is provided with anupwardly extending rib 2| which with the upwardly extending wall I8forms a socket to receive a suitablepacking 22 interposed beneath theflange I2 of; the sleeve on the lower end of the shell section and thedrive shoe thereby to .exclude seepage of water, or other fluid, intothe interior of` the pile.

Various forms of collars for the upper end of the sheet metal shell andsleeves for the lower end of the shell may be employed within the spiritand scope of ,the invention, illustrative forms of which are shown inFigs. 6-7 and Fig. 8. In the construction shown in Figs. 6 7 the drivecollar 23, which is adapted to be engaged by the shoulder ,t of thedriving core l, `has a vertical tubular portion 24 which fits tightlywithin and is fixedly secured to the upper end of thesheet metal shellsection I and is .provided with a vertical peripheral wall 25 having -aplurality otf preferably equally spaced `bayonet slots which comprise avertical groove 26 whichleads to a horizontal groove 2l which in turnleads to a vertical groove 28 the upper end 29 of which extends abovethe horizontal groove 2| a sufcient distance to permit a limitedlongitudinal sliding movement of the complementary interengaging memberupon the sleeve` on the lower end of the next uppermost section.

rhe lower end of the sheet metal sleeve section I has secured to it asleeve having a tubular portion 39 which nts within and desirably iswelded to the shell and is offset outwardly to overlie the end of theshell, and merges into a downwardly and outwardly inclinedportion `3|which in turn merges into a cylindrical portion 32 which fits within theperipheral Wall 25 and is provided with a plurality ofprojections. orlugs 33 adapted to enter and engage the bayonet grooves 2t, 21T,V and 28of the vertical wall of the col-lar. The lower end portion 34 of thesleeve extends inwardly in parallelism to the upper sur face of thecollar and is provided with an upwardly extending flanged end35whichslidably fits upon a ring 36 `which is secured to the upper face of thecollar;

In order to exclude the entrance of water or other fluid into the shellan annular upwardly inclined spring ring 31 is suitably mounted upon theupper surface of the collar and` a suitable packing 38 is superimposedupon the spring ring- .'l so that when the upper shell sectionis drivendown the packing will be resiliently held in engagement with the underface of the horizontal portion 34 of the sleeve inV such manner as toprevent the entrance of water into the pile shell.

Another form of coupling is illustrated in Fig. S in which the drivecollar 39, which is adapted to be engaged by the shoulder I` of thedriving core is provided with a downwardly extending tubular portion@which tightly ts within the upper end of the sheet metal shell sectionI and is .secured thereto. The collar 39 is provided with an upwardlyextending cylindrical flange 4| and a U-shaped ring 42 which `tightlyfits within the vertical wa-ll 4| and is secured toit by suitablewelding 43, The lower end ofthe U-shaped ring preferably rests upon theupper surface of the collar 39 andl the inner vertical wall 44 isprovided with suitably spaced bayonet grooves 45 of the character abovedescribed adapted detachably to receive an inwardly bent projection orknob 45 adjacent the lower endof the shell section InV this particularconstruction. the lower end of the shel-l is not providedwith a sleevebut the shell section itself is adapted to be detachably interlockedwith the U-shaped ring of the collar.

The U-shaped ring 42 may be partially or wholly filled with a mastic, orother suitable packing, to enclose the` lower end of the shell sectionto exclude the entrance of water through the joint into the pile shell.

Various other forms of preferably detachable connections providing slipVjoints between. adjacent sections of the pile shell may be employedv aswill readily be understood by those familiar with the art.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5,includingmechanism for driving sectional pile shells of equal diameterin such a manner that the driving force applied to the pile shellsections will be distributed and applied to the upper end ofeach of thepile. sections. In this construction the upper end of each pile sectionis provided with a rigid metal drive collar having a tubular portiontting within and secured to the upper end of the sheet metal section andextending thereover preferably in Iangular relation thereto presenting ashoulder adapted to be engaged by driving instrumentalities and havingan upwardly extending flange, with means adapted telescopically to fitand preferably detachably to be secured to the'lower end of the nextuppermost section, and providing an annular recess above said shoulderto receive a plurality of driving instrumentalities carried by saidcore. In this construction the driving core is provided with recessescomplementary tothe recesses intermediate of the superimposed shellsections and with extensible driving instrumentalities adapted to beinserted through the recesses in said core into engagement with ztheshoulders of said driving collars', or alternatively to be withdrawnwithin the periphery of. said core to permit withdrawal of the core fromthe shell when the shell hasbeen sunk to the desired depth.

In the particular construction shown in Figs. 3, 4', and 5, the drivecollar 4'! presents upwardly inclined upper and lower surfaces and. hasa tubular portion 48 extending into and'fixedly secured to the shellsection The drive collar 4'l has a vertical upwardly extendingperipheral wall 49 adapted to engage an external sleeve which is xedlysecured tothe lower end of the adjacent pile section. In thisconstruction the sleeve comprises a hollow ring of preferably angularcontour having a downwardly inclined upper portion 50 which is securedby welding 5l' to the sheet metal shell and a` vertical. section 52which slidably ts within the vertical Wall V49 of the drive collar andis detachably connected thereto by a bayonet joint (not'shown) of thecharacter illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7ab`ove described. The ring has alower horizontal portion 53 which preferably extends beneath and isengaged by the lower end of the shell section In this construction acomplementary ring is provided which telescopically fits within thelower end'of the sheet metal shell As illustrated this complementaryring comprises an annular portion 54' which seats upon the upper face ofthe collar and preferably is welded to it, or thevertical wall, and a-nintegral horizontal inwardly. extending section ES-having on its innerend a vertical wall 55 which telescopically `engages the the lowerhorizontalportion 56'* of the collar and a suitable packing 58 iscarried by the upper face of the spring ring. When therefore theuppermost shell section is forced downwardly the spring ring 51 andpacking 58 will provide a seal which will exclude the entrance of waterinto the shell. By reason of the construction above described an annularspace 59 is provided above the drive collar which is adapted to beengaged by suitable driving instrumentalities mounted upon the core andadapted to be extended through suitable recesses in the core intoengagement with the collar and to be removed therefrom to permit removalof the core from the pile shell.

A preferred shell driving construction which is illustrated in Figs. 3and 5 comprises a tubular steel driving core 66 having a wall ofsuitable thickness. The driving core is provided at intervalscorresponding to the lengths of the respective shell sections withpreferably rectangular recesses having parallel preferably slightlyupwardly and outwardly inclined upper and lower walls 6I and 62, theupper wall being particularly adapted to be engaged by a shoulder 63 ofa driving block 64 preferably of substantially rectangular crosssection, both in vertical and horizontal direction, and which isprovided with an extension 65 having an upwardly inclined lower surface66 complementary to the inclined upper surface of the driving collar 41.Each driving block is provided with a relatively narrower integralvertical rib 61 which extends upwardly beyond the core-engaging shoulder63 and is mounted upon a pivot 68 in bosses 69 extending inwardly from abracket which is welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the inner faceof the driving core 60.

Any suitable number of driving blocks may be employed. As illustrated inFig. 4 three of such driving blocks are shown and a link 10, which ispivotally mounted on each driving block, is pivoted at its inner endupon a pin 1| which is mounted in bosses 12 extending outwardly from acollar 13 which is flxedly secured to an actuating tube or rod 14 whichextends axially of the driving core 60. When the actuating tube or rod14 is forced downwardly to the position illustrated in Fig. 3 thedriving blocks 65 are swung about their pivots 68 so that the ends ofthe driving blocks extend through the recesses in the walls of thedriving core and the inclined lower surfaces thereof engage the shoulderof the driving collar 41. When therefore the driving core is forceddownwardly by the blow of the pile driver impinging upon its upper endthe force of the blow will be transmitted through the contacting wall 6Iof the recess in the core and the shoulder 63 of the block and the underinclined face of the block 66 to the driving collar 41 of each of theshell sections.

When it is desired to remove the driving core from the shell after ithas been sunk to the desired depth the actuating instrumentality or rod14 is raised thereby raising the links 10 to the position illustrated indotted lines and through said links swinging the blocks simultaneouslyto the position illustrated in dotted lines in which the outer ends ofthe blocks are within the periphery of the core so that the core can bemoved freely upwardly out of the sunken shell,

Any suitable means may be provided for raising and lowering theactuating member or rod 14. A preferred mechanism for accomplishing thispurpose is illustrated graphically in Fig. in which the actuating rod ormember 14 is fixedly secured at its upper end to a driving head 15adapted to rest upon the upper end of the driving core 60 when theactuating member 14 is in lowered position and the driving blocksextended through the recesses in the driving core into engagement withthe shoulders of the driving collars. In order to permit relativemovement between the driving core 60 and the head 15, the upper portionof the driving core is provided with oppositely disposed recesses orslots 16 and a bar 11 extending through said recesses and said actuatingrod is fixedly secured, as by welding, to the actuating rod. These slots16 are of such length to permit the actuating member or rod to be raisedsufficiently to swing the driving blocks 41 within the periphery of thedriving core so that the driving core can be removed from the shell.

In the operation of the device the head 15 and the actuating rod or tubewhich is connected thereto is suspended in such manner that thetransverse rod 11 engages the upper ends of the slots 16 in the drivingcore and thereforesupports the driving core, the head 15 being separatedfrom the upper end of the driving core. When in this position thedriving blocks are swung inwardly within the periphery of the drivingcore. When the head 15 is lowered into engagement with the upper end ofthe driving core for the purpose of driving the core and shell, theactuating member or rod 14 is moved downwardly relatively to the drivingcore causing the blocks to be swung outwardly through the slots in thedriving core, so that the inclined lower faces of the driving blockswill rest upon the collars at the upper ends of the respective shellsections. When the hammer of the pile driver is repeatedly dropped uponthe head 15 force will be transmitted through the driving core 66 to theupper ends of the several shell sections and to the driving shoe at thebottom of the driving core.

When the pile shell has ybeen driven to the desired depth the head 15may be raised by suitable lifting mechanism thereby raising theactuating member or rod which in turn will raise the links 1l) and swingthe driving blocks 65 about their pivots 68, thus withdrawing the endsof the driving blocks within the periphery of the driving core 60. Thebar 11 will then engage the upper ends of the slots 16 and furtherupward movement of the driving head 15 will act through the rod 11 toraise the driving core from the shell.

By reason of the construction above described a cylindrical shell can bedriven into the ground readily without buckling any of the relativelythin sheet metal shell sections.

In each of the constructions illustrated a preferred form of drivingcollar is shown in vwhich the lower face of the collar is of invertedconical form and of greater diameter than that of the shell section nextabove it and acts to force the soil away from the relatively thin shellsection, but the construction may be so modified that the outsidediameter of the driving collar is substantially equal to the diameter ofthe shell as will be readily understood by those skill'ed in the art.

In each of the constructions a slip joint is provided between theadjacent ends of the sections and a suitable packing is provided forsuch joint to prevent the admission of water or other liquid into theshell.

It will be understood that the preferred embodiments-shown and describedherein are of an illustrative character and that various modificationsin form, construction and arrangement of parts may be made within thespirit and scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is `claimed as new, anddesired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A pile shell, to be ydriven into the ground to receive a suitablefilling, comprising a plurality of axially superimposed tubular sectionseach section having at its upper end a rigid collar therebeneath soconstructed as to lock adjacent j sections together. but to permitlimited longitudinal movement therebetween.

4. A pile shell, to be driven` into the ground t0 receive a suitablelling, comprising a plurality of. axially superimposed tubular sectionseach section having secured to its upper end a rigid collar overlyingandengaging said end and preoverlying and engaging said end and presentinging a socket to receive the lower end of the shell of the adjacent uppersection, and complementary coupling means respectively on the lower endportion of each tubular section and the adjacent collar of thenext lowersection so constructed as to enable the lower end of the upper sectiontelescopically to enter the socket of said collar and upon limitedrelative rotation between said adjacent sections to prevent separationof said sections while permitting limited longitudinal movementtherebetween, whereby each section will be driven at its upper endwithout tension upon the adjacent upper section.

2. A pile shell, to be driven into the ground to receive a suitablefilling. comprising a plurality of axially superimposed tubular sectionseach section having at its upper end a rigid collar overlying andengaging said end and presenting a shoulder adapted to be engaged by ashouldered member of a driving core and having a tubular portion tightlyfitting within and secured to the section and an outer upwardlyextending peripheral wall of substantially greater diameter than that ofsaid tubular section forming a socket to receive the lower end of theshell of the adjacent upper section, and a rigid flange on the lower endof each tubular section adapted to engage the socket within theperipheral wall of the collar at the upper end of the next lower sectionand means respectively on said flange andthe peripheral wall of saidcollar for so coupling adjacent sections together as to permit a limitedrelative longitudinal movement therebetween but to prevent separationthereof.

3. A pile shell, to be driven into the ground to receive a suitablefilling, comprising a plurality of axially superimposed tubular sectionseach section having at its upper end a rigid collar overlying andengaging said end and presenting an upper shoulder adapted to be engagedby a shoul dered member of a driving core and a lower upwardly andoutwardly inclined lower soil-engaging surface and having a tubularportion tightly fitting within and xedly secured to the section and anouter upwardly extending peripheral wall of substantially greaterdiameter than that of said tubular section forming a socket to receivethe lower end of the shell of the adjacent upper section, and a rigidsleeve fitting within and lixedly secured to the lower end of eachtubular section having a flange portion underlying and engaging thelower end thereof adapted to engage the socket within the peripheralwall of the collar at the upper end of the next lower section, and meansfor detachably coupling the sleeve at the lower end of each section tothe `,senting ashoulder adapted to be engaged by a shouldered member ofa driving core and having a tubular portion tightly fitting within andxedly secured to the section and an outer upwardly extending.vperipheral wall of substantially greater .diameter than that of saidtubular section forming a socket to receive the lower end of .the shellof ,theadjacent upper section, and a rigid sleeve` fitting within andsecured to the lower end of `each tubular section having a flangeportion ,underlying and engaging the lower end thereof. adapted to liewithin the peripheral wall ofy the collar atthe upper end of the nextlower section, means for vdetachably coupling the sleeve atthelower .endof each section to the collar at the upper end of the adjacent sectiontherebe- Vneath in such `manner as to.. permit limited longitudinalmovement therebetween, and resilient packing means in said socketinterposed between said collar and the flange of said sleeve operable toprevent entrance of fluid through the joint between said adjacentsections 5. A pile shell, to be driven into the ground to receive asuitable filling, comprising a plurality of axially superimposed tubularsections each section having secured to its upper end a rigid collaroverlying said end and presenting a shoulder adapted to be engaged by ashouldered member of a driving core and having a tubular portion tightlyfitting within and secured to the section and an outer upwardlyextending peripheral wall of substantially greater diameter than that ofsaid tubular section forming a socket to receive the lower end of theshell of the adjacent upper section, a rigid sleeve tting within andsecured to the lower end of each tubular section having a flange portionoverlying the lower end thereof adapted to lie within the peripheralWall of the collar at the upper end of the next lower tubular section,and a bayonet joint connection between the sleeve of one section and thecollar of the adjacent section so constructed as to permit sufficientrelative longitudinal movement between said sections to enable eachsection to be driven at its upper end without exerting tension upon thesuperimposed sections.

6. A pile shell, to be driven into the ground to receive a suitablefilling, comprising a plurality of axially superimposed tubular sectionseach section having secured to its upper end a rigid collar overlyingand engaging said end and presenting a shoulder adapted to be engaged bya shouldered member of a driving core and having a tubular portiontightly fitting within and secured to said section and an outer upwardlyextending peripheral wall of substantially greater diameter than that ofsaid tubular section forming a socket having means telescopically toreceive and t the lower end of the adjacent upper section and a bayonetand slot connection between said` collar and next adjacent upper sectionso constructed as to permit limited relative longitudinal movementtherebetween but to prevent detachment of adjacent sections from eachother.

7. A pile shell, to be driven into the ground to collar at the upper endof the adjacent section receive a suitable filling. comprising aplurality of axially superimposed tubular sections each section havingsecured to its upper end a rigid collar overlying said end andpresenting a shoulder adapted to be engaged by a shouldered member of adriving core and having a tubular portion tightly fitting within andsecured to said section and an outer upwardly extending peripheral wallof substantially greater diameter than that of said tubular sectionforming a socket to receive the lower end of the shell of the ad# jacentupper section, a rigid sleeve tting within and secured to the lower endof said tubular section having a flange portion overlying the lower endthereof adapted telescopically to fit within the peripheral wall of thecollar at the upper end of the next lower tubular section, an annularupwardly inclined spring member seated on said collar, and a packing ofwater-repellent material seated on said ring adapted to be engaged bythe flange portion of said sleeve whereby upon driving the pile shell awater-tight joint will be provided between the adjacent sections.

8. A pile shell, to be driven into the ground to receive a suitablelling, comprising a pluralitiT section having secured to its upper end arigid collar overlying and engaging said end presenting an uppershoulder adapted to be engaged by a shouldered member of a driving coreand having a tubular portion tightly fitting within and fixedly securedto the section, and an outwardly upwardly extending peripheral wall ofsubstantially greater diameter than that of said tubular section forminga socket to receive the lower end of the shell of the adjacent uppersection, a rigid sleeve tting within and xedly secured to the lower endof said tubular section having a flange portion underlying and engagingthe lower end thereof, means for detachably coupling the sleeve at thelower end of each section to the collar at the upper end of the adjacentsection so constructed as to lock adjacent sections together but topermit limited longitudinal movement therebetween, and a drive shoehaving a vertical peripheral wall surrounding the flange at the lowerend of the lowermost section, and means for coupling the drive shoe tothe lower end of said lowermost section so constructed as' to lock thedrive shoe to said lower section but to permit limited longitudinalmovement therebetween.

ALBERT C. TITCOMB. MARK D, CRONAN.

